Blur is the fifth album by Blur, first release in 1997. It reached #1 in the UK album chart, while making significant headway in the US with "Song 2" becoming a hit there and earning Blur a gold record in the process. The album's style was a result of them dropping the Britpop direction that had suddenly become unhip in the wake of The Great Escape's release and turning on to lo-fi indie recordings (at Coxon's urging). The album was a hit and proved that Blur could evolve beyond their Britpop roots. Other hits from Blur are "On Your Own", "M.O.R." and "Beetlebum", a number one hit.

The cover art portrays the blurred image of a nurse pushing a hospital bed. The album was originally titled Five, and the nurse in the cover art had a halo.

The song "You're So Great" was the first song written by Graham Coxon for Blur. It was performed solely by him and can be seen as the start of his solo career. The extreme lo-fi recording of the track is typical of songs on Coxon's first solo albums.

"Country Sad Ballad Man" was inspired by P. J. Proby.

In 1998 Q magazine readers voted Blur the 39^th greatest album of all time.

In 2004, the album was packaged with 1993s Modern Life Is Rubbish in a limited edition box set as part of EMI's "2CD Originals" collection.

Track listing

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All tracks written by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree, except where noted.

1. "Beetlebum" – 5:04
2. "Song 2" – 2:01
3. "Country Sad Ballad Man" – 4:50
4. "M.O.R." (Blur, David Bowie, Brian Eno) – 3:27
5. "On Your Own" – 4:26
6. "Theme from Retro" – 3:37
7. "You're So Great" (Coxon) – 3:35
8. "Death of a Party" – 4:33
9. "Chinese Bombs" – 1:24
10. "I'm Just a Killer For Your Love" – 4:11
11. "Look Inside America" – 3:50
12. "Strange News from Another Star" – 4:02
13. "Movin' On" – 3:44
14. "Essex Dogs" – 8:08
    • Some editions include an uncredited track, "Dancehall," starting at 6:25
    • Japanese release has "Dancehall" as a separate track, calling it a "Bonus track for Japan."

Personnel

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• Blur - Producer
  • Damon Albarn - Vocals
  • Graham Coxon - Guitar
  • Alex James - Bass guitar
  • Dave Rowntree - Drums
• Jason Cox - Engineer
• Paul Rostle - Photography
• John Smith - Engineer
• Stephen Street - Producer

Blur albums | 1997 albums | Eponymous albums | Parlophone albums

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